WASHINGTON — Today the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced that it will begin accepting applicants on Feb. 25 for the 2018 National Veterans Golden Age Games, scheduled to take place June 5-10 in Anchorage, Alaska.
The National Veterans Golden Age Games is the premier senior adaptive rehabilitation program in the United States, and the only national multievent sports and recreational seniors’ competition program designed to improve the quality of life for all older Veterans, including those with a wide range of abilities and disabilities.
The annual competition is one of the most progressive and adaptive rehabilitative senior sports programs in the world, and hundreds of Veterans from across the country are expected to take part.
Veterans ages 55 and older who receive VA health care may complete applications at www.veteransgoldenagegames.va.gov. Registration will close once the maximum number of applicants are reached.
“We encourage every Veteran to embrace an active and healthy lifestyle, and this annual event encourages participants to make physical activity a central part of their lives,” said VA Secretary Robert Wilkie. “The National Veterans Golden Age Games is a VA rehabilitation event for our senior Veterans who have dedicated themselves to remaining active, healthy, and living the Games’ motto – ‘Fitness for Life.’”
Competitive events include the following: air pistol, air rifle, badminton, basketball, blind disc golf, boccia, bowling, cycling, golf, horseshoes, nine-ball, pickleball, powerwalking, shuffleboard, swimming, table tennis, and track and field.
The games encourage participants to continue in local senior events in their home communities, and every other year serve as a qualifying event for competition in the National Senior Games. The Alaska VA Healthcare System, host of this year’s games, provides care for more than 80,000 Veterans across the state’s 586,400 square miles.
For more information, visit www.veteransgoldenagegames.va.gov; follow VA Adaptive Sports on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook at @Sports4Vets.
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Reporters and media outlets with questions or comments should contact the Office of Media Relations at vapublicaffairs@va.gov
Veterans with questions about their health care and benefits (including GI Bill). Questions, updates and documents can be submitted online.
Veterans can also use our chatbot to get information about VA benefits and services. The chatbot won’t connect you with a person, but it can show you where to go on VA.gov to find answers to some common questions.
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